Ken Frantz

How amazing it was this past week to participate in the largest block party of the ages as the USA turned 250 years old. Contenders for most fireworks of all time, revelries across the country came to life with peoples' need to get out and feel a part of something larger than self, a need lacking in civil society for quite some time.

Growing up with animals was something we took for granted as young kids. Earliest memories evoke warm remembrances of newborn litters of kittens or puppies, fish of various shapes and forms and colors, snakes and frogs, toads and earthworms, birds of all kinds, and even gray squirrels raised on the bottle. Each new animal was a life lesson in how to care for something of value and to marvel at the wonder of God's creative genius.

I recall a secured transactions class from law school days and the fondness one professor had of mounting the lecture hall steps and randomly selecting a row of student victims. The most timid person in the row often became the “deer in the headlights” with whom a nose-to-nose inquisition took place. No student was immune, some achieving cult status for merely surviving the grilling they received.

What a curiosity aging has become! Attendance at a weekend church gathering brought home that reality despite protestations to the contrary. Hosted at a small college campus, the conference represented in part that the specter of aging was clearly present in moments least expected (nametags and lanyards notwithstanding).

We have more than our fair share of luxury items in our corner of the universe, even considering the breadth of the cosmos. Organizational gurus and psychiatric networks would, no doubt, have a field day examining formative elements of our needs and desires based on what is discoverable on our shelves and what is yet to be found.

The term ‘acolyte' is often used to describe a person who assists a celebrant in furtherance of religious ceremonies. particularly those involving processions. Imagine preparing the way, setting the stage, or attending to the needs of the celebrant, both before and after a service. Acolytes are often designated roles which include preparing the worship set

In an improbable world populated by two-year-olds lies both folly and wisdom, purpose and hope. Folly begets wisdom as lessons are learned on our part. Purpose rides in to save the day, even if it is a little tardy most times. Thank goodness for such interlopers representing people and circumstance. Where would we be without them?

Just a bit more. One more half turn. A light tap ought to do it. One more shovel full. Words of optimism and alacrity for handypersons everywhere. Words that also spell regret when the window pane breaks, a bolt shears off, or an irrigation pipe is nicked while trenching. We know it happens from time-to-time… few of us are immune. And, worse, we see it com

Editor's Note: Ken Frantz shares this previously published article while he is on sabbatical.

It was impractical yet necessary. A mental health break in an otherwise busy day. A bit of time stolen from the routine to engage a few minutes for an indulgence of sorts; gleaning a few ears of corn from a harvested field. By the time I walked the edge of the field, the shadows were long. The last sunshine of the day was brilliant against yellow cornstalks, broken rows aligning ones vision to the local elevator where most of the crop had been marketed or stored. The combine, while remarkably efficient, left just enough ears to challenge the seeker. Full ears were often found with the nudge of a boot against dried husks, or they were attached to a bent over stalk that escaped a voracious corn header.